Track Listing

1. American Girl - Denny Cordell, Max, Noah Shark, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
2. Breakdown - Denny Cordell, Max, Noah Shark, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
3. Anything That's Rock 'N' Roll - Denny Cordell, Max, Max Reese, Noah Shark, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
4. Listen To Her Heart - Denny Cordell, Max Reese, Noah Shark, Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
5. I Need To Know - Denny Cordell, Max Reese, Noah Shark, Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
6. Refugee - Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Shelly Yakus, Mike Campbell, Benchmont Tench, Stan Lynch, Tori Swenson, Skip Saylor, Gray Russell, Tom Panunzio, John Mathias, Greg Calbi, Joe Gastwirt
7. Don't Do Me Like That - Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Shelly Yakus, Tori Swenson, Skip Saylor, Gray Russell, Tom Panunzio, John Mathias, Greg Calbi, Joe Gastwirt
8. Even The Losers - Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Shelly Yakus, Tori Swenson, Skip Saylor, Gray Russell, Tom Panunzio, John Mathias, Greg Calbi, Joe Gastwirt
9. Here Comes My Girl - Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Shelly Yakus, Tori Swenson, Skip Saylor, Gray Russell, Tom Panunzio, John Mathias, Greg Calbi, Joe Gastwirt
10. The Waiting - Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Shelly Yakus, Brad Gilderman, Tori Swenson
11. You Got Lucky - Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Jimmy Iovine, Shelly Yakus, David Bianco, Alan Weidel, Brad Gilderman, Hill Swimmer, Charlie Brewer, Norman Perbil, Stephen Marcussen, Joe Gastwirt
12. Don't Come Around Here No More - Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, David A. Stewart
13. I Won't Back Down - Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, George Harrison
14. Runnin' Down A Dream - Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Mike Campbell
15. Free Fallin' - Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Mike Campbell
16. Learning To Fly - Jeff Lynne, Mike Campbell, Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
17. Into The Great Wide Open - Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Mike Campbell, Richard Dodd
18. Mary Jane's Last Dance - Rick Rubin, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Mike Campbell
19. Something In The Air - Mike Campbell, Rick Rubin, Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1593 in Music
• Released on: 1999-03-20
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks
• Dimensions: .23 pounds
• Running time: 68 minutes

CD Description
Hailing from the state of Florida, singer-songwriter Tom Petty has come to epitomise a new rootsy style of California rock'n'roll. Rhythmically, the music harkens back to the basic crunch of the Rolling Stones and the dancing pop of the Beatles, while Petty's gravelly vocals and sing-song narrativestyle suggest roots in the folk-blues Americana of Bob Dylan.
Years before R.E.M. returned to the jangly, Rickenbacker-infected timbre of the Byrds, Petty's nasal delivery and bell-like mix of guitars and vocal harmonies gave new life to the atmospheric ballad style of Roger McGuinn, David Crosby and company. GREATEST HITS is evenly divided between material from Petty's mid-'70s/early '80s breakthrough and the more mature work he's been doing with producer Jeff Lynne since 1989's FULL MOON FEVER.
The craft and content of his songwriting has grown more relaxed and accomplished with each passing album, whether alone or in tandem with Lynne and long-time lead guitarist Mike Campbell. Thus we move from the hard-churning outsider's anthem of "Refugee" with Benmont Tench's pulsing Hammond organ (from 1979's DAMN THE TORPEDOES),to the moody Southern California metaphors of the transplanted rock exiles and doomed romantics who populate "Free Fallin'" and "Learning To Fly"--all examples of Petty's timeless, evocative songwriting.

Customer Reviews

Don't want to buy a back catalogue? Try this.
If you want all the jangliest Tom Petty songs you heard on the radio but never bought as singles and you don't want to pay for about ten albums, then this is pretty good. Many long term Petty fans have argued about what should have been on there, and why on earth a few really good songs were left off (the 1987 album "Let Me Up, I've Had Enough" isn't represented at all), but what is here is exceedingly good. The last two bonus tracks are worth buying this whole album for (which is what I did - I've got all the old albums anyway and didn't really *need* a greatest hits package) but it is jolly convenient to not have to sift through all the vinyl to find just one loved song. Buy this, you'll like it. They are all very catchy.

A Timeless Classic
Tom Petty has an uncanny ability to go on and on, in the best possible way of course. I saw him in concert in 1989 and have been addicted ever since. My first obsession was "Free Fallin". Actually, it was this song that got me to the concert. Brilliant lyrics carried along smoothly by a great tune. Other personal favourites are "Refugee" (which you may not realise you know, but the chances are very good that you do!), "Don't Come Around Here No More", "Runnin' Down a Dream" and "Mary Jane's Last Dance". An excellent album for any and all rock fans.

The best of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, 1976-1993
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Greatest Hits pulls together a wealth of great tracks from one of rock's most legendary yet still underrated groups, covering Petty's career from 1976 up through 1993. Of course, Petty has released several classic albums since this GH CD was released, but this album provides fans unfamiliar with the consistency and strength of Petty's early years the chance to see that something good did indeed emerge from the musical doldrums of the 1970s. Petty's whiffs and raw, throaty vocals were a proverbial breath of fresh air during the days of disco. At the time, the music was characterized as new wave, if you can imagine that, but the heart of Petty's music has always been in America's heartland; while he has successfully incorporated a number of musical stylings over the years, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers remain the embodiment of classic rock 'n' roll.

The band's 1976 self-titled debut album barely made a ripple in America until the band found success in the UK - then, America took notice of the first single Breakdown and the rock classic American Girl. You're Gonna Get It was released in 1978 and supplies the tracks Listen To Her Heart and I Need to Know. Much greater success was waiting in 1979 when Damn the Torpedoes saw the light of day, and this GH collection features four unforgettable tracks from that breakthrough album: Refugee, Don't Do Me Like That, Even the Losers, and Here Comes My Girl. It's hard to believe Refugee maxed out at number 15 in the US charts, as the song was all over the airwaves at the time. These four songs reflect the growth and maturation of Petty & the Heartbreakers as they truly began to establish a rock 'n' roll legacy. The group's next two albums, Hard Promises (1981) and Long After Dark (1982) saw only moderate success and are represented here by only two tracks: The Waiting and You Got Lucky, respectively.

Three years of work paid off when Southern Accents was released in 1985. It's a great album, even though only one track from the album appears on this GH collection. Don't Come Around Here No More is especially memorable for its twisted Alice in Wonderland video- it's one of the most famous music videos of all time. Full Moon Fever (1989) made Petty a legend with hits such as I Won't Back Down (featuring fellow Wilbury George Harrison), Runnin' Down a Dream, and Free Fallin'. Into the Great Wide Open (1991) kept the ball rolling with hits such as the title track and Learning to Fly.

This Greatest Hits album concludes with two brand new songs. Mary Jane's Last Dance (and its accompanying video featuring Kim Basinger) was a big hit, while Something In the Air is a great song obviously influenced by Petty's recent collaborations with Jeff Lynne and George Harrison in the guise of the Traveling Wilburys. I'm a little disappointed that nothing from 1987's Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) is included in this collection; I've never understood the album's lack of success as it features some great tunes including Jammin' Me, which was co-written by Bob Dylan.

There are more inclusive Petty collections out there these days, but if you want the heart and soul of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on one CD, the tracks on Greatest Hits will serve you quite well indeed.